Rungrado 1st of May Stadium

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Rungrado 1st of May Stadium
Views from Yanggakdo International Hotel 10.JPG
Location Pyongyang, North Korea
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Owner DPR Korea
Capacity 150,000[1]
Field size Main pitch- 22,500 m²
Total floor space- over 207,000 m²
Opened May 1, 1989
Tenants
Parades/shows celebrating Kim Il-sung and North Korea.
Arirang Festival
North Korea national football team (some games)
North Korea women's national football team (some games)
Rungrado 1st of May Stadium
Chosŏn'gŭl 릉라도 5월1일 경기장
Hancha 綾羅島五月一日競技場
Revised Romanization Neungnado 5(o)-wol 1(ir)-il Gyeonggijang
McCune–Reischauer Rŭngnado Owŏl Iril Kyŏnggijang
Exterior of Rungnado May Day Stadium

The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, completed on May 1, 1989. It is currently the largest stadium in the world, with a capacity of 150,000, and occupies 20.7 hectares (51 acres).

Overview

Stadium at night
File:Arirang Mass Games 12.JPG
Arirang Festival, on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung.

It is currently used for football matches, a few athletics events, but most often for Arirang performances (also known as the Mass Games). The stadium can seat 150,000,[2] which is the largest stadium by capacity in the world and the world's 12th largest sporting venue.[3]

Its name comes from Rungrado Islet in the Taedong River, upon which it is situated, and May Day, the international labour day. Its scalloped roof features 16 arches arranged in a ring, and it is said to resemble a magnolia blossom. It is not to be confused with the nearby 50,000 capacity Kim Il-sung Stadium.

It hosts events on a main pitch sprawling across over 22,500 m² (242,200 ft²). Its total floor space is over 207,000 m² (2.2 million ft²) across eight stories, and the lobes of its roof peak at more than 60 m (197 ft) from the ground.

While the stadium is used for sporting events, it is most famous as the site of massive performances and shows celebrating Kim Il-sung and the North Korean nation. In June–July 2002 it was the site of the colossal and meticulously choreographed "Arirang" gymnastic and artistic performance (often referred to elsewhere as "mass games"). The extravaganza involved for the first time some 100,000+ participants—double the number of spectators[4]—and was open to foreigners. These performances are now an annual feature in Pyongyang, usually in August and September. The Guinness Book of Records has recognized these events as the largest in the world.

It was also the venue in which Kim Jong-Il in 2000 entertained Madeleine Albright, the U.S. Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton.[5] Collision in Korea was the largest professional wrestling pay-per-view event ever that was jointly produced by World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. It took place over a period of two days on April 28 and 29, 1995 at the stadium and had a record attendance of 150,000 and 190,000. It did not air in North America until August 4, 1995.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.worldofstadiums.com/asia/dpr-korea/rungrado-1st-of-may-stadium/
  2. ↑ www.football-lineups.com The World's Largest Sporting Venues | Stadium Atlas
  3. ↑ The 11 venues larger than Rungrado are all automobile racing courses. See Sporting Sights
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons

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